Lithology of basin-fill deposits in the Albuquerque-Belen basin, New Mexico

Sediments that fill the Albuquerque-Belen basin in central New Mexico comprise an aquifer that supplies water to approximately one-third the population of the State. Analysis of driller 's logs and geophysical logs indicate that an area of fine-grained deposits generally underlies the west-central part of the basin. Coarse-grained deposits are concentrated primarily along the axis of the north-central part of the basin. Mixed lithologic textures are present in the rest of the basin and are especially pronounced in the east-central part. Lithologic interpretation of borehole-geophysical logs were used to construct 10 lithologic sections. These sections show that the upper part of the basin fill consists mostly of sandy lenses alternating with clayey or silty lenses.